Wyominghunter +1,   I agree it's splitting hairs ,  I'm not a big fan of ball powder in the 338 Lapua  I've been running IMR 8133 it's an Enduron powder that I heard has been discontinued, no big deal we can load other powders.  Some of the guy's here have been wildcatting a 338 EDGE ,  that's another cartridge that's splitting hairs.

If I remember correctly Rick Jameson thought highly of the 300 Win mag as one of the best all around cartridges.  Jameson started the short magnum craze and won a lawsuit against Winchester back in the day I guess.  Very knowledgeable and technical writer which I much appreciate.  I talked with him at shot show 12 yrs or so ago nice guy.  Anyway any of the 300 mags at least in the America's  is enough gun for a one gun hunter IMO, but then what fun is that.   You can load it down, load it up for almost any situation.  The 338's at least the larger 3 you really got to have a pretty big want or need / use to justify.  I got some 340 WBY ammo I picked a long time ago in the odd chance I may get one who knows I won't get rid of it.   A lot can be said about the medium sized med diameter cartridges  35 Whelen, 9.3 , 338-06, and their AI's good cartridges for their purpose.  If I wasn't shooting Elk much past 400 yds I could be fat dumb and happy using our 6.5x55, 6/5 Creedmoor or 270 Winchesters or even a 308, but since we are shooting these longer ranges on Elk we have bumped it up to 300 WBY's mainly because of horse power on a big animal the 7mm mags with these larger case capacities are fine,   if it was a Deer I would just use one of the 6.5's probably the Creedmoor it's all set-up if I were using it for long Range. I've gotten to a point I really only use my favorites and the guns I have confidence and don't have to think too much when shooting them. 

Unfortunately we don't know.  Got to be prepared,  even if you think it's a safe place it's not any more.  One year and I didn't know this until the next day,  my wife and I took a drive up on the Mtn see the scenery look for some Elk anyway we drove in this camp ground one tent in there no one around as it seemed , we are miles from anything, had this weird feeling so we left.  anyway prison break 2 killers and a female on the loose,  later that day a forest service guy came into the camp ground and had the same feeling , so he called the Sheriffs come to find out these killers had killed another older couple just after the prison break and were on the look out for them.  The next day I guess the cops all got together and captured these criminals.  That day also I found out these were the same people in the same camp ground we had been in the day before.   You never know. 

IMO,   I  think it depends on what you are planning to use the rifle for ? Ammo for Ammo I don't see what the difference between a standard 338 Win mag using a 225 grain bullets and 225 gr 338 Wby Rpm Is.  A little less expensive 338 Win ammo.  Easier to find Win ammo / more selections.  In todays long range world when you get into anything 338 and larger / bigger / faster / more aerodynamic 338's are definitely better and that becomes a whole different set of issues,  heavier rifles, 100 grains of powders , heavy bullets , etc.  It becomes a point of what is really needed.  In some cases it is but for most hunters it's not.  It really depends on what and where you are hunting. 

284 win good cartridge,  it's just like fishing tackle it's made to catch fishermen.  just like cartridges are made to catch shooters.  Sometimes I think new and improved is not a bad idea and while I do like innovations we are stagnating with hold overs with a hundred plus year technologies.

When we were kids my dad was federal police officer in charge of police depts on different reservations at different times,  this time we lived on the White Mtn Aache reservation in the 60's.  Spent many a night sleeping on a dirt floor in General Crooks house on Fort Apache.  at that time the Reservations goverment Hunter/Trapper and his family lived in the house.  I could tell you stories.  Jaguars were still on the reservation, and predators.    lot's of Mtn Lions, and everything else.  back then they had open pit dumps on a lot of the lakes Bears had their own grocery store to munch out on.  I would be more worried about tangling with a Bobcat than other cats for one reason they will defend their kill even if it's against a Mtn Lion or Bear.  The other reason Bobcats can get Rabies and they aren't too afraid of us when sick.    We use to go on the old traplines with him and he taught us kids all about how this Bear killed this Mtn Lion that was trapped or the other way around how this Mtn Lion killed this Bear in a trap. I have one of the largest Black Bears ever taken my Dad killed with a 243 winchester the gov'n hunters new rem 600,  bear went 585 lbs and was skin and bones on his last winter ,  broken teeth,  nose and ears torn off from fighting,  going bald and was light blonde blonde in color,  figured he would go in the 800 lb range in his prime as per the gov'n hunter.  These guy's are all long gone now.    The guy was a wealth of Info and what a hunter. I've chased Mtn Mion into old cowboy line shacks before,  Myself and family have been stalked multiple times by Black Bears, mock charged, and I know Mtn Lions are watching us even if I don't see them while elk hunting, some these were very large bears,   called in Bears and Lions with hand calls, back then all I had was a 30-30 model 94 ,  nowdays I carry a  Colt Delta Elite 10mm auto in a in the front chest holster something I can get to fast,  with max load  180 to 200 gr hard cast,  or a small lightweight 30-30 or 6.5x55 rifle or small 12 ga with a mix of buckshot and slugs.   if I'm just out and about. Most of the guys that run Lions with dogs that i know use 357 or 44 handguns their clients may be carrying rifles and such as long as they can shoot them under stress.  It's kind of a dying breed anymore.  Bears they usually go a little larger in caliber, my daughter shot hers with a 1 st year Remington 700 carbine in 30-06.  Nice little rifle although it had a recoil pad that reverted back to the rubber tree so I installed a good recoil pad on it for her.

I had a good one one year I ordered a M1A scope mount it was winter snow on the ground quite a few years ago apparently they delivered it to another house down the dirt road, any way come spring time when the snow melted I see all this torn up packaging material blown all over in front of the gate and all I could think of was the dogs or coyotes got to it.  Long before that the company sent me out another mount which was nice of them.